Mr. Ted McMeekin (Ancaster–Dundas–Flamborough–Aldershot): I rise today to comment on how far the McGuinty Liberals have come in repairing our public health care system and bringing down wait times for Ontarians. I know it’s an important item, and when it comes to wait times, we are not just talking about change; we’ve gotten real results. Hamilton Health Sciences Corp. has already been able to bring down angioplasty wait times by 84%, cancer treatment wait times by over 27%, and hip replacement wait times down by over 51%. Our government has just announced an additional $9.8-million investment for the Hamilton Health Sciences Centre, which will go to bringing down wait times for cardiac procedures.

When the leader of the official opposition attacks our wait time initiatives, it’s also an attack on front-line workers, the unsung heroes of our health care system. The member opposite’s policies also include taking $2.5 billion—do you believe it?—out of the health care system and then working to privatize it, while we have been working hard to bring in 8,000 more nurses, increase the number of doctors, and make real reductions to wait times. There’s so much more to do, and we continue to look forward to the challenges of the future.